Treasures of the Tentmakers: Discovering Egyptian Khayamiya
Lecture
Khayamiya, or Egyptian Tentmaker Applique, is a spectacular art form in danger of extinction. The vibrant colours and intricate designs of contemporary Khayamiya are the result of an entrepreneurial history of adaptation and re-invention, much of which has been forgotten. In this lecture, Dr Sam…
The Long Revolution in Egypt: Women, Gender, and Creative Activisms
Lecture
Margot Badran sees revolution as a complex process calling the public quest for gender equality and social justice from early last century as the ‘Long Revolution’ encompassing the 1919 Revolution, the 1952 Revolution, and the 2011 Revolution ongoing. She approaches revolution not simply as marked…
The Rising Emirate: Explaining Qatar’s politics, economy and global role
Lecture
The tiny Gulf state of Qatar punches way above it weight. It is, per capita, the richest country on earth. It is home to Al-Jazeera television. It hosts international events, won hosting rights for the 2022 Soccer World Cup, and wants to host a summer Olympics. It is an active diplomatic and…
Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh: The sources of the monumental Iranian national epic
Lecture
Dr Jalil Doostkhah is the leading scholar on Shahnameh Studies having spent over 60 years of his life on studying in this area. He has a PhD in Persian language & literature from Tehran University (1969). Dr Doostkhah was a Professor at the University of Isfahan and a guest Professor at the…
Tajikistan: Turbulent Present, Uncertain Future
Seminar
Sixteen years have passed since the signing of the peace agreement that brought an end to Tajikistan’s brutal civil war. There was great hope in 1997 that Tajikistan had been handed a fresh start, and a viable political future. However, the country’s present situation remains bleak. While…
Why Israel/Palestine peace talks now?
Lecture
There is widespread scepticism about the constructive results flowing from this latest phase of Israel/Palestine peace talks: the Netanyahu government does not seem willing to offer the Palestinians a state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital; the Palestinian Authority writ…
Headscarf Controversy Goes Global
Lecture
In the early 1990s, Turkey was the only Muslim country where a headscarf ban in schools, universities and public institutions existed. In the aftermath of 9/11, especially in the West, there occurred a troubling exclusion of pious Muslim women from the public sphere in the name of secularism,…